#5143, Ambient Country

Country as a genre casts a wide net, but it’s rare for regular listeners to associate it with ambient music. And while the roots of ambient country can be traced back to the psychedelic sounds of the 70s, it’s a relatively new concept, championed by current artists and bands such as SUSS, Chuck Johnson, and William Tyler.

The common thread is the twangy, nocturnal guitars that evoke the American Southwest, like the ones you hear in Ennio Morricone’s theme for the 1966 Sergio Leone film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. And although the Twin Peaks soundtrack from 1990, composed by Angelo Badalamenti with David Lynch, is often described as an example of a dream pop score with a hint of jazz, the electric guitars still exude the mystique of the Wild West.

This is the thread to hold onto as you listen through not only some classic examples of ambient country music, such as New York-based trio SUSS’ excerpts from Counting Sunsets, Chuck Johnson’s “Superior Mirage”, William Tyler’s “Held”; but also neighboring works, including Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore’s “Between Two Worlds” and LA LOM’s “El Sereno”. Between the atmospheric synth drones and long reverb tails, you’ll also hear Tin Hat Trio’s genre-blind take on Western music in “Bill” and Hermanos Gutiérrez’s Latin-flavored “Hermosa Drive”. - Sırma Munyar

Program #5143, Ambient Country (First aired 5/20/2026)

ARTIST: Ennio Morricone 
WORK: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo [1:20]
RECORDING: Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western (The Original Masters) - Remastered
SOURCE: EMI Music Publishing Italia / EMI General Music
INFO: https://enniomorriconemusic.bandcamp.com/album/ennio-morricone-spaghetti-western-the-original-masters-remastered

ARTIST: SUSS
WORK: Sunset IV [5:00]
RECORDING: Counting Sunsets
SOURCE: Northern Spy Records
INFO: https://suss.bandcamp.com/album/counting-sunsets

ARTIST: Angelo Badalamenti 
WORK: Twin Peaks Theme [5:10]
RECORDING: Soundtrack From Twin Peaks
SOURCE: Warner Bros. Records
INFO: https://www.discogs.com/master/4538-Angelo-Badalamenti-Soundtrack-From-Twin-Peaks

ARTIST: William Tyler
WORK: Held [5:56]
RECORDING: Time Indefinite
SOURCE: Psychic Hotline
INFO: https://williamtyler.bandcamp.com/album/time-indefinite

ARTIST: Tin Hat Trio
WORK: Bill [5:03]
RECORDING: The Rodeo Eroded
SOURCE: Balboa Records
INFO: https://www.discogs.com/master/192418-Tin-Hat-Trio-The-Rodeo-Eroded

ARTIST: LA LOM
WORK: El Sereno [5:03]
RECORDING: The Los Angeles League of Musicians
SOURCE: LA LOM/Verve
INFO: https://linktr.ee/the_lalom

ARTIST: Hermanos Gutiérrez
WORK: Hermosa Drive [3:54]
RECORDING: El Bueno Y El Malo
SOURCE: Easy Eye Sound
INFO: https://hermanosgutierrez.bandcamp.com/album/el-bueno-y-el-malo

ARTIST: Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore
WORK: Between Two Worlds [6:16]
RECORDING: Ghost Forests
SOURCE: Three Lobed Recordings
INFO: https://threelobed.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-forests

ARTIST: SUSS 
WORK: Sunset IX [3:29]
RECORDING: Counting Sunsets
SOURCE: Northern Spy Records
INFO: https://suss.bandcamp.com/album/counting-sunsets

ARTIST: Chuck Johnson
WORK: Superior Mirage [4:57]
RECORDING: Sun Glories
SOURCE: Western Vinyl
INFO: https://chuckjohnson.bandcamp.com/album/sun-glories

ARTIST: SUSS
WORK: Sunset VII [5:01]
RECORDING: Counting Sunsets
SOURCE: Northern Spy Records
INFO: https://suss.bandcamp.com/album/counting-sunsets